"I hope to demonstrate women can play a role at the highest levels of motorsport," Wolff said.

"I shall be working closely with the team on its social responsibility program in the areas of education and road safety."

Wolff is just the seventh female F1 driver in the 60-year history of the sport and her recruitment, along with De Villota, has been seen as an important step forward in the gender divide.

However "Racy Susie," as she has been labeled in the British tabloid press, may still have some way to go before changing old-fashioned thinking at the top.

Women in Formula One 6 photos

Women in Formula One6 photos

Divina Galica – Divina Galica made her Formula One debut at the 1976 British Grand Prix. Despite entering three grands prix, the British driver did not qualify for a race.

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Women in Formula One6 photos

Queen of speed – Before discovering motorsport, Galica (far right) was an Olympic skier. She was captain of the British ski team and competed at the Winter Olympics in 1964, 1968 and 1972. Until March 2007, Galica held the female British speed skating record, clocking 125 miles per hour in 1994.

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Women in Formula One6 photos

Maria Teresa de Filippis – Maria Teresa de Filippis was a true pioneer, becoming the first woman to enter a grand prix at Monaco in 1958. One month later, the Italian was the first female driver to finish a race, coming last at the Belgian Grand Prix.

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Women in Formula One6 photos

Lella Lombardi – Filippis was succeeded by compatriot Lella Lombardi, who made her own piece of F1 history in 1975. While driving for March at that year's Spanish Grand Prix, Lombardi became the first, and only, woman to register a point-scoring finish in a grand prix.

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Women in Formula One6 photos

Desire Wilson – South African driver Desire Wilson failed to qualify for the 1980 British Grand Prix while competing for Brands Hatch Racing. She did take part in the 1981 South African Grand Prix, but the race was later stricken from F1 records for political reasons.

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Women in Formula One6 photos

Giovanna Amati – Giovanna Amati was the last female driver to enter a grand prix. The Italian failed to qualify for the first three races of 1992 season while representing the Brabham team.

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EXPAND GALLERY

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who has long wanted a competitive female driver on the grid, welcomed Wolff's arrival.

"If Susie is as quick in a car as she looks good out of a car then she will be a massive asset to any team and on top of that she is very intelligent," the 81-year-old said.

Wolff will be undertaking some aerodynamic and full-track testing of the team's FW34 F1 championship car as well as attending a number of races.

Her role was approved by the Williams board, of which Wolff's husband, Toto, is a member. He sat out the selection process.

Susie, who lives in Switzerland, is no stranger to the driver's seat.

She first began karting as a child before moving into single-seaters in 2001 with a drive in the Formula Renault series. She was twice nominated for the prestigious Young Driver of the Year Award and enjoyed a spell in the British Formula Three championship before joining Germany's DTM touring car series in 2006.

Wolff has been in a Formula One cockpit before, having received a test drive courtesy of the team formerly known as Lotus Renault F1 at Paul Ricard in August last year, where she achieved 300 kilometers of track time.

De Villota, daughter of former British Formula One Series Champion Emilio de Villota, also has experience racing at the Spanish F3, the Daytona 24 Hours, the Euroseries 3000 and Superleague Formula Championship.

Of the five women to join F1 before Wolff and De Villota, only two have ever qualified to start a race. The most prolific of these was Italian Lella Lombardi, who started 12 grands prix in the 1970s.

Lombardi made history while driving with March at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, becoming the only woman to register a point-scoring finish in a grand prix.